An Introduction to Zinc Nickel Plating

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Zinc nickel plating is a coating used to protect metal parts from rust and general wear. In this process, zinc and nickel are added together onto the surface of a part. The best results usually come when the coating has about 11% to 16% nickel, with the rest being zinc. After plating, the coating can be passivated, which adds another thin layer to protect it against corrosion.

Why Choose Zinc Nickel?

Zinc nickel can be a better choice than normal zinc plating. It is also seen as a safer replacement for cadmium plating, which works well but is very toxic. For many industries, zinc nickel, like the examples seen at swmf.co.uk/surface-coatings/zinc-nickel-alloy-plating, lasts longer and gives more protection. The process used to be expensive, but as technology has improved, it has now become more affordable and more widely used in industries like car and airplane manufacture.

Better Than Standard Zinc

Zinc nickel outperforms regular zinc in salt spray tests. For instance, zinc-nickel coatings commonly reach around 1,000 hours of neutral salt spray resistance before showing red rust, while standard zinc coatings do not last nearly as long. This makes zinc nickel the better choice for high-temperature or difficult conditions.

Corrosion Protection

Zinc nickel is very good at preventing galvanic corrosion, which happens when metals like steel and aluminium touch each other. The coating helps to reduce the damage and works in a similar way to cadmium. Even if the coating gets scratched, zinc nickel continues to protect the steel underneath by acting as a stronger and more protective layer.

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